"Tools of the Trade"

I like to sharing trivia about various mediums we used at the Walt Disney Studios before the digital age came upon us so here are a few you might be interested in.

First, here's an interesting ad from the Saturday Evening Post published around the release of BAMBI,  showcasing Walt Disney and a vintage Everlast pen and pencil set. As fine a quality as these were, they were only used for writing and not drawing at the old studio. The fellows in animation production who sometimes used pens like Ken Anderson definitely favored the Montblanc brand with sketching nibs. 

With the "ONE-TWO " punch of a strike and war, Walt had to embrace even these little opportunities when they came along to put something back in the dwindling studio reserves. The set pictured was most likely used by Walt for a short time any way and I'm assuming as is the custom of many companies trying to sell their items, some free sets were probably given to the studio to be used as publicly as possible. More likely by writers though than by artists.

Just a note to anyone still using the old KOH-I-NOOR pencil holders like the ones we used to use for story sketches and roughs at Disney Studios. The various quality leads are becoming hard to find and lately I've picked up some very inferior ones at local art stores loaded with filler and binding material that fracture and break off in tiny specs while drawing.

However, I just received a pack from GIOCONDA 6 that are actually made for KOH-I-NOOR/HARTMUTH from the Czech Republic in SEPIA that exhibits no filler problem, goes onto paper in smooth soft strokes and the leads really hold up to hard use. I hoarded a couple of boxes from the old studio that date back to the 30s and these really match them for handling and appearance.

I should add that a number of manufacturers make various versions of these pencil holders that work pretty well if you can't find a KOH-I-,OOR the lead is the most important element of the two. 

The holder pictured here is a vintage 5649 that dates to 1937 and was given to me by Ken O'Connor.

Remembering Ken O'Connor, PART 2

Original Title Card for Cinderella

This is roughly how a day in Ken's class would unfold. I dragged myself out of bed at 6:30, ate an orange and then after meeting Ken at his car, we walked to class where I would unlock the door as no one was there yet. As TA I had keys to all the Character Animation rooms which made it easier for fellow students to get access after hours.  He used a foldable rolling cart on top of which he placed items like  a converted fishing tackle box. This box held a hodge-podge of art supplies neatly arranged within its drawers. Endless goodies from pastels to paint and compasses to canvas rolls could be brought forth from that small box much like Mary Poppins did with her magical carpet bag. I would help Ken set up a still life for our first class exercise in the morning. He did the artistic placement, me the heavy lifting. These could be anything from a stuffed eagle on a branch waiting to pounce upon a equally stuffed rabbit  to an arrangement of musical instruments made of shiny brass and dark wood to a collection of old antique brass and copper lamps. 

Stepsisters by Mary Blair

In this way Ken would help us decipher how to properly translate various surfaces in our illustrations such as the metallic reflection of a trumpet, a subdued highlight on fine oiled wood,  the sheen of silk drapery to the soft fringe of a feathered wing. After lunch we would then move on to unique perspective problems that he would setup for us using handouts and the over head projector. After the head numbing problems solving missing perspectives of a cross on a hill, Ken would take pity on the class. He did this by bringing in examples from the Walt Disney Studios showing the various stages used in creating the family of famous Disney classics beginning with "Cinderella," a film he knew very well.

  Bedroom Concept,  Live Action, Layout &  Painted BG

He started off by bringing in a written treatment with concept art featuring Mary Blair, Ken Anderson, Bill Pete and John Hench followed the next week by storyboards and workbooks by talents like Bill Pete and Ken Anderson. We would then see the rough and final layouts from he, Don Griffith and Tom Codrick and others, then eventually the beautiful background paintings from Claude Coats and Art Riley including the discards such as the infamous Palace interior section that was completely discarded and had to be redone. We also studied the live action film reference from stills to the film comparing it to the animation derived from the rotoscoping of its poses until finally we watched the entire film in the theater with Ken as our MC as he made comments (some were hilarious) as to production problems and anecdotes about the film's production.  

The Disney version of the Stairway to Success

This procedure was followed on additional Disney classic films as we were exposed to more and more artists, their different styles and techniques, and the steps taken to produce these classics, including mistakes and failed attempts as well as the successful conclusion.To the left is a breakdown of an example of how the various stages of just one area, in this case the tower stairway, was developed and used in the film, "Cinderella". I wish I had the space to transfer all of my notes and photos of those sessions from my class book to these blog pages, it was a real treat for all of us. 

Ken and Mike CalArts 1976

After being exposed to the Disney classics in such illuminating detail, we could hardly wait to get back to our desks and begin sketching. Ken also introduced us to the process of adding powders to our renderings such as Graphite or charcoal. After applying that technique though, one has to "fix" it in place by using a spray so we all started using spray fixative to set the renderings. I am surprised we weren't asphyxiated if you can imagine a dozen kids spraying fixative in the hallway at the same time, phewwww. After the spray fests it was a relief just to run outside and breath in the smog! I actually switched my colon from Old Spice to Blair Fixative while attending Ken's classes.

Although I loved Ken's classes in particular, after the first semester, I ran out of money which was very embarrassing and was going to leave the school. Remarks from teachers like Ken O'Connor helped influence the Disney Studio and the Disney family who offered me a full scholarship to stay on for which I am eternally grateful to all of them. 

Remembering Ken O'Connor, PART 1

CAL ARTS 1973 photo by Mike Peraza 

It was the first day of school in our Character Animation class of Drawing and Perspective at California Institute of the Arts. Our teacher was a Disney veteran named Ken O'Connor I remember his tall form walking to the front of the class and asking in his unique Australian accent who in the group was interested in getting into Layout. After reading and marveling at the breathtaking images in the weight-lifter break your coffee table's legs edition of "The Art Of Walt Disney", my arm shot up but soon found itself the lone flag waving in a non-exhistent breeze as most of the folks there had their eyes on being animators. Ken winked at my red face with a big grin and I just knew we were going to get along just fine. As his classes got under way, he would encourage each of us to explore the many styles and mediums as he himself had demonstrated time and again with designs ranging from the traditional "Lady and the Tramp" to the more pop influenced  "Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom." Ken was a gentle genius, and that was plain to all who were fortunate enough to know him.

Walt Disney Studios at Hyperion 1930s

He was born in Perth, Australia in 1908 where when he wasn't clipping wayward joeys who wandered in on the family property, he studied commercial art at Melbourne Technical College and later at Australian National Gallery. He and his family then traveled up over to the United States to continue his studies at California School of Art in San Francisco. In 1935, Ken like many art students across the nation were informed about openings at an up and coming company called Walt Disney Studios where he was promptly hired and eventually worked on 13 features,100 short subjects, Disneyland attractions, 3 independent features and even a mural for his friend and former boss at the Ben Sharpsteen Museum named after the Disney legend Director and Producer. The mural successfully combined a life size 3/4 chunk of a real California stagecoach to an illustrated 6 horse team arriving in town and of course the perspective was flawless. 

O'Connor mural for Sharpsteen Museum

I spent a few nights over at Ken's Burbank home which was only a few streets down from my apartment at the time, while he was painting the mural in his back yard. We talked at length about film, art, and keeping pesky bugs from landing on fresh paint. When I say we talked, it should be admitted that Ken did most of the talking and this pup listened carefully after all Ken had actually been there and done that. If Walt had ever assembled a "Nine Old Men" team of Layout and Art Directors, Ken would have deserved a front row seat. Over the next few chapters I will share some of those discussions, his artwork, and personal photos while I remember not only a Disney legend, but a good personal friend. This veritable mountain of experience became one of the most valued instructors at the early Cal Arts Character Animation Program for his many extraordinaire talents not the least of which was his tireless and inspirational guidance for the next generation of animation artists.